Sen. Ayotte: Pay for Unemployment Benefits By Closing IRS Loophole

Closing a loophole in the IRS regulations on child tax credits that has been a source of fraud could pay for a three-month extension of unemployment benefits, Republican New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte said Thursday.

"There was a Treasury IG report that found massive fraud with the claiming of the additional child tax credit, because, when you file for it, you don't have to put a Social Security number down," Ayotte told Fox News' "Happening Now."

"What the investigations found, people that don't even live – children that weren't even in this country were being claimed for [a] tax refund. Children that may not even exist were being claimed for a tax refund," she added.

Ayotte maintained the change could not only pay for the unemployment benefits extension, but also fund cuts that had been made to military retirees, with money to spare. She called the move "just good government," and said the child tax code was "being abused, based on investigations."

With a ready solution to the unemployment benefits issue, Ayotte said Congress should be concentrating on the economy and jobs.

"We should be focusing on creating a better economic climate to get people back to work, with permanent policies," she said.